mushy101: The i5-4570 is 100 mhz faster, but around £12-20 more. Is it really worth that much of a price increase?
oasis789: Depends on applications. Are you going to fold proteins, search for aliens etc? Some games/programs are just not very well optimized for hyperthreading, CPU is a major bottleneck. If you're on GOG you probably play older titles where this isn't really a big deal, even midrange processors can handle most Dosbox titles well. Whereas console emulation are pretty intensive, Dwarf Fortress is just a processing monster etc.
mushy101: A question though, does this motherboard support 1.5v RAM or 1.65v? Is that something I should worry about when installing my RAM?
oasis789: Every mobo has a compatibility list for memory, go to the manufacturer site and look for it.
mushy101: Another question, do micro ITX boards limit the type and size of cpu coolers you can install? I've heard the intel coolers can be loud, so my next upgrade after this one is a silent cpu fan.
oasis789: No, the mounting brackets are the same, but the size of the case does limit what you can fit inside it, and micro ITX cases tend to be fairly compact. I'm assuming you're getting a micro ITX case if you're using a micro ITX mobo. Personally I never bothered with small form factors for desktops, that's more of a LAN party thing.
If you want more advice, r/buildapc is very helpful and they advised on my rig 3 years ago.
Thanks for the information, I went back to the manufacturers mobo page found the ram compatibility list tucked right away in hidden sub menus.
Due to that, the viper RAM is out of the question as the model I was going to buy isn't specifically listed on that page.
To save myself any potential headache, I'll switch to this, fully supported, ram instead:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmx8gx3m2a1333c9 mushy101: Right ok, thanks for the info. Oh and yep, I'll be selling my current RAM kit (for however many peanuts) once I get the new kit.
I'll go for the patriot viper kit then, it's 1.5v, and 1600mhz, and 8gb. So it ticks all of the boxes I require!
Damn, never knew the psu might not be compatible with a processor. Thankfully I've got a corsair tx-650 powering the computer which, according to that article, will be able to handle has well just fine.
iippo: thats good point i forgot to mention totally. check the PSU manufacturers product base if its Haswell approved or not. I think it should be. If youre going to have to buy new one, id make sure youre not buying too big one. Unless you are planning going SLI/Crossfire i think even 600W is starting to be overkill these days.
i actually sold my old Corsair TX850 while back and bought 600W Gold grade Superflower.
oasis789: Personally I never bothered with small form factors for desktops, that's more of a LAN party thing.
iippo: There are actually plenty mITX cases which fit regular ATX sized components such fine. Personally i can appreciate the saved desktop space. Most of ATX cases are just full of air anyways.
mushy101: *Looks away embarrassed*
The things you over look when you are rushing about, thanks for the handy permalink tip.
In regards to the other parts, I have a lovely white fractal R3 define housing the parts I brought at the beginning of last year. The psu is my trusty Corsair TX-650 that I brought way back in 2011. The gpu is a Ice-Q X 7850, which is performing very nicely, and I suspect will do so until I upgrade it next year.
The cpu cooler? I think the heavens smiled at me.I brought a cpu cooler way back in 2012, the Gelid tranquilo Rev.2.
AMD stock coolers are noisy as fuck so after a year and a bit of dealing with the incessant whine, I jumped for the tranquilo. But after reading the box and reading up on LGA 1150 vs 1555 cpu coolers it seems to me I can just use the Rev.2! Which is a ball of awesome as the rev.2 is incredibly quiet, even at load.
This site states as much:
http://www.quietpc.com/lga1156-coolers My current upgrade as it stands, then:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2ECGZ You guys reckon I pull the trigger and get the parts?
if you checked that the cooler is compatible with the mobo then i thinks its ok set. i did notice the cooler is sub 160 tall so it does fit in for sure. But id still check the product compatibility page of mobo to make sure there is no issues with memories.
other than that, GL with you new comp ;)
Cheers for the advice, I've checked my psu for haswell compatibility and thankfully is passes the mark.
Right, I've just ordered all the parts, they stand as:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2m97P I'll choose the winner in a moment as well.
An incredible thank you to everyone here. The advice has been second to none and I would've definitely ran into a problem or two if not for the help you guys showed. I hope the GOGer enjoys the games!
